Don't Go Back on My Word
by Steavatron
Summary: Shizuka's jaw tightened at the Leaf nin's words. The same words another leaf nin had used to ruin her mother's life. Her anger spiked. She wasn't about to let him do the same to her. She'd rather die.- - Summary is a work in progress, looking for ideas. Basically, Shizuka, the Nadeshiko princess, reacts more true to her character in shippuden 235 when Naruto tries to blow her off.
1. chapter 1

**A.N. This is a story that picks up from somewhere in the middle of #235 in the anime. If you haven't watched it recently, you might wanna. It's on crunchyroll and a lot of other free sites too.**

 **Chapter 1**

Naruto smiled softly as he lay down on the grass. It wasn't the softest in the world, but that didn't matter much to the blond. His mind was actually almost all the way back in Konoha as he recounted the way he felt whenever he looked at Sakura-chan. He was just getting to her smile when he started to feel somewhat uncomfortable. He couldn't sense any Killing Intent, but he could feel...something in the air wanting to do him harm.

It wasn't anything pronounced, just a sneaking feeling he got that he almost felt he was imagining it. In fact, he could only feel it because of his training in the sage arts. It felt like nature itself wasn't very happy with him at all at the moment.

Not a pleasant thought.

Raising himself slowly onto his elbows, he met the eyes of the only other person in the clearing. Well, 'met' would imply that she reciprocated the contact. As it was, her eyes were looking straight at him but were filled with such hatred that he didn't even think she was seeing him anymore. Her fists were clenched tightly on her lap as she sat on her heels. His very sensitive nose was picking up the slightly metallic scent of blood, and he had the sneaking suspicion it was coming from the tips of Shizuka's fingernails digging into her palms.

Her expression hadn't changed much from the cool, dismissive one she usually wore, but her eyes were more expressive than any face she could make. ' _She's probably suppressing her killing intent as much as she can so the little that I'm sensing must be what she can't really hide._ ' That was impressive. It took massive amounts of control to suppress your killing intent and she was doing a near flawless job of it. Most normal people would never be able to pick it up.

That thought made his eyes widen slightly, breath almost catching in his throat. She was suppressing it not because she wanted to showcase her skill, but because she was trying to keep herself from killing him. It was killing intent in the most literal sense. Most ninja just projected an impression of how much they wanted to kill someone using their chakra. It was usually heavily embellished and didn't truly represent their drive to end their opponent's life. They wouldn't even be able to hold themselves back for a second if that was the case. But apparently that _was_ the case here. She actually wanted to kill him so much that her urge was being projected by her chakra network, regardless of how hard she was trying to suppress it.

That was bad. She was pretty damn powerful, and although he'd beaten her in that first fight, he was sure if she was going all out he'd have to do the same. That wasn't really something they could do this close to a town. The collateral damage would be devastating.

He bit his lip for a second, running through what he could do to get her to calm down. He didn't want to startle her while she was so wound up. That could only end badly.

Just then, the wind started to pick up around her, swirling protectively around her kneeling form. He sprang backwards away from her, bringing a kunai up just in time to block the one she'd aimed at his head. "What the hell!" He yelled, hopping back to put a little distance between himself and the now standing kunoichi.

She didn't say a word, but her expression seemed to darken at his words. She swept her arms at him in twin arcs, sending kunai flying that he hadn't even seen her palm. Having no time for handseals, he instinctively did the only jutsu he could without them. Three clones poofed into existence in front of him, slowing down the kunai enough for him to dodge. He'd seen the faint shimmer indicative of wind chakra hovering around the kunai and they were going a fair bit faster than in the earlier fight they'd had.

"What are you-!" He stopped short as she rushed at him, sending shuriken at him with controlled flicks of her wrist. Within a second he'd picked up on the fact that she wasn't trying to kill him with them, but to force him into close combat. Having the knowledge didn't help the blond though, as she was already assaulting him with a kick that almost broke his guard. She continued in her pursuit, sending kicks enhanced with wind chakra at the jinchuuriki as he attempted to stay alive.

Despite the rage she was obviously feeling, she hadn't lost any of her superb control. Her attacks were swift and sharp, the wind natured chakra coating her limbs being the most dangerous thing. The blond was forced to dodge all her attacks, backpedaling out of her reach whenever he couldn't. He wasn't sure he had anything that could stop one of those kicks, and he wasn't very keen on finding out.

Measuring his breaths, he managed to speak between pants. "Why-"

He dodged one of her kicks, ducking under it and springing back to his feet.

"Do you-"

He deflected one of her punches at the elbow, making sure not to overextend himself.

"Hate me so much?!"

She swiftly changed her stance, jumping and kicking off him with both feet, sans wind enhancement. It still hurt like a bitch though. Landing perfectly a good distance away from him, she stood at the ready. He could see the tension in her muscles and the way her holsters had been locked open. When she spoke, her voice was the same flat and neutral tone it had always been instead of the contemptuous venom he'd been expecting. "You leaf nin are just the same." She said, tone unaffected by the fight.

"What?!" He said, tilting his head to dodge a kunai. "Hey, can we just talk?!"

She paused for a second, her shoulders rising and falling with a calming breath. "You and your master are just the same." She spoke, her calm tone somehow carrying over the entire field. "Do you know what happened when my mother came back to the village, after your _master_ chickened out of their fight."

Naruto had no idea, but by judging by how she all but spat the word out of her mouth, it probably wasn't anything good.

Her jaw seemed to tighten at his lack of response. "Well, _Konoha nin_."

"I…" He stopped, unable to lie to her in the face of her anger. "No. I don't."

She blew out a breath through her nose, and the golden haired boy couldn't tell if he'd just made her more or less angry. "Did it even cross your mind." She said, and it wasn't really a question. She already knew the answer. Shizuka didn't even wait for him to speak, sending a torrent of wind enhanced kunai at him. "No!" She yelled, her voice finally rising above its normal speaking volume.

Naruto ducked and dodged, bouncing around his side of the clearing as he avoided the deadly projectiles. Her speed had once again deteriorated to what it had been before, but that didn't mean he could relax any. One mistake and he'd be skewered. But that was okay, she'd have to run out at some point, and he may even have some answers by then.

"You didn't even give it a single thought, did you!" She continued to fling the projectiles at him, arms working double time to get them out of her holsters as quickly as possible.

Speaking of her holsters, they seemed bottomless. She just continued throwing more than any container could hold at the spiky haired teen.

"Just like your master!" She snapped, flinging one last one at what he'd deemed her full speed. This one would've taken his head off if he hadn't poofed a clone into existence to kawarimi him out of the way. Some of her anger seemed to have faded, to the point where he was almost sure he wasn't imagining the hurt behind her eyes.

"I'm sor-" He sprang high into the air, narrowly avoiding the string of bladed weapons she'd sent hurtling at him.

When he found his footing, her eyes were hard again, voice even and controlled. "Do _not_ lie to me."

He nodded slightly, facing her with a serious expression. He waited a beat, making sure she wasn't going to fling any more knives at him before speaking. "What happened?"

Shizuka didn't reply immediately, seeming to search his eyes for...something. When she spoke, her tone was measured. "What do you _think_ happened. She didn't go out and seek any other men to challenge. She didn't ' _move on with her life_ '. She didn't find her _true love_ and grow old with him." She paused, centering herself with a breath. "She trained."

Naruto nodded to himself a little, having suspected as much since she'd started speaking.

"Day and night, she trained for the rematch that he'd _promised_ they'd have. She waited for years for him to come to the village. After a while, she sought him out, leaving instructions for the village guards to tell him to wait for her if he came." She breathed once, her chest seeming to shudder with the intake.

Naruto nodded slightly, knowing what was coming. "He never showed up." He said more than asked.

She gave a hint of a nod, the slight movement seeming to add to her anger. "A few years later his...books… started to become popular and they discovered what kind of man he really was." Her eyes started to glisten, fist clenched tightly by her side. "She still couldn't move on though. In our village, nothing is held higher than your word, so she had to wait for that rematch. She couldn't accept any of the challenges she received since she'd made a promise to _your_ master."

The Uzumaki couldn't find the words to answer her. He merely stood and listened as she continued.

"He made her life hell in her own village. Imagine that; being the first Nadeshiko kunoichi to be rejected, and by a known pervert. People...her villagers...they look a-" Her breath caught in her throat and she paused, blinking away a tear. "They looked at her with such _pity._ The leader of the village, the strongest kunoichi in all of the elemental nations, and they _pitied_ her." The very thought seemed to revolt her.

Naruto looked down at that, knowing why she hadn't just ran or ended it. If Jiraiya had ever come back looking for that match it would've brought great dishonour upon the entire clan. A black mark that would take more than a miracle to wipe clean. And he understood her 'choice' too. Keeping his word was his nindo and he was wise enough to admit he had his pride as a warrior. He knew he wouldn't even last a day as Hokage if people looked at him with those eyes. He wasn't nearly naive enough to deny the power of a look.

He heard a soft thump on the ground, the slight clinking of metal accompanying it. Looking across, he saw her knelt once more, sitting on her heels. When he met her eyes, tears were freely running down her pale cheeks. "I will _never_ let you do that to me, Naruto." He was about to speak, but she cut him off by letting loose another kunai, watching it plant itself by his feet. "So either you marry me…"

He closed his eyes, tightening his fists by his side.

"Or-"

"No!" He shouted, head snapping up so he could look her in the eye. "I won't kill you! Arghhhh!" He ran a hand through his hair, gripping it tightly enough to wake him from a dream or dispel a genjutsu. "Why do you people have to have such st-"

Her voice still had that increasingly familiar hard edge to it when she interrupted him. "You think we _want_ to live the way we do? That we choose to keep these traditions because we _like_ them?" She scoffed derisively, eyes hardening. "What kind of a village do you think we are, that you'd assume we like attracting the type of men we do. The kind who only see us as trophies." She said, a flick of her arm gesturing slightly to the wall he'd sent Kokuyô careening through.

That gave him pause. "What…" He paused, swallowing and calming his breathing. "What could _make_ you keep those traditions."

She exhaled quietly, the breath coming from her nostrils. "That...is a long story, Naruto. Don't make me waste my breath if you're just going to kill me."

"..." He worked his jaw a little, unable to find any words to respond with. He really didn't want to make any promises, but it was starting to seem more and more like Jiraiya already had. "I'll...think about it, okay?" He asked, hoping she'd take it. He was pretty sure he couldn't bring himself to kill her if she said 'no'.

She closed her eyes, head oriented skywards as she spoke. "I know a nicer place where we can talk."

* * *

A few minutes later they were both seated on the bank of the river that passed through the clearing. They were both barefoot with their feet in the water.

"Women of the Nadeshiko village are sought out all over the elemental nations. Men come from far and wide seeking to challenge us because of our traditions and our...attributes." She frowned as she continued, actively trying not to lose herself in her emotions again. "We also get more than our fair share of perverts looking for a peek."

Naruto nodded having figured as much.

"The vast majority of us are 'D' cups or larger. We all possess more or less the same figure." Another frown, but this one seemed a lot more self deprecating. "Generally all the other women are taller than me...Closer to Tokiwa's height, actually."

It took Naruto a minute to remember that 'Tokiwa' was Shizuka's attendant. He let out a breath, using all his willpower not to whistle. That was like something out of those manga he used to read. There was one that came to mind immediately, but he couldn't quite get his tongue on the name.

"We have great stamina and are blessed with much larger main coils than most, but we also have disproportionately thin chakra pathways." She saw incomprehension in his eyes and expanded. "We have significantly increased reserves but our control is still naturally much better than average." Her lips twisted to the side a little and she admitted, "While this does make us a lot more vulnerable to viruses that affect the chakra circulatory system and devices that can forcibly control your chakra, we are also lucky to have a superior immune system. We hardly ever get sick."

He raised an eyebrow, wondering why she'd disclose such obviously classified information. "Why are you telling me that, what if I was just gonna kill you and take advantage of the intel you're giving me?" One corner of her mouth twitched up a little, light seeming to dance behind her eyes.

She didn't answer him, though. "Our senses and skills are also naturally sharper than others, meaning we make very good trackers." 'And all other types of ninja' went unsaid but was clear to both shinobi. "The final attribute is that we only give birth to Nadeshiko women." A slight shake of her head stalled his question. Her features darkened a bit as she continued. "From this knowledge, most would link our lineage to a jinchuuriki. The prevailing theory is that Kinkaku and Ginkaku from Kaminari no kuni became ' _Kinka and Ginka-chan_ ' when the kyuubi's chakra changed them from the inside."

Her sarcasm was quite thick when she said the names, but she almost continued without much fanfare. "Wait, wait, wait. Who and who?" The Uzumaki asked, unaware of their identities.

She frowned. "Kinkaku and Ginkaku… the 'Gold and Silver Brothers' from Kumogakure no sato...swallowed by the kyuubi and survived by eating its body from the inside…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, not sure what kind of history _she'd_ been learning in the Nadeshiko academy. The kyuubi was a being of pure hate and malice and chakra. Surely it would've at least chewed? The fox just didn't seem like the type to let a single person go unharmed, let alone two. He shook his head slowly, clearly expressing his disbelief.

She blinked once at his apparent lack of knowledge and continued. "Well, they existed long ago. Granted, the kyuubi's chakra _did_ change them." her shoulders rose and fell in a controlled shrug. "No one would be able to manifest a cloak of the bijuu's chakra off of mere remnants. The two of them gained the ability to produce said cloak at will."

Naruto nodded, thoughts straying to that 'Sora' guy who was in pretty much the same boat. He guessed it wasn't totally and completely impossible. If you squinted.

"Since the fox is a female creature in most folklore, it's widely accepted that when their chakra was changed, their bodies were changed too." She finished.

"To 'Kinka and Ginka'?" he asked, mostly just to be sure.

She gave him a shallow nod, lips twitching a little at the face he made.

"Right." he said a few minutes later, deciding to process the stupidity of people later. "So what's the truth?"

She sobered up slightly, looking at him with a curious eye. "How much do you actually know about the Uzumaki clan?" She asked, nodding a little to herself when he froze.

He shook his head mutely, not fully able to process what she was saying. Could she possibly be...

She continued, voice a little softer as she spoke. "You do know why they were destroyed, don't you?"

He nodded once more, his voice coming back to him. "They...the other villages, they feared what they could do with seals so they…"

She nodded once, having expected him to know at least that much. "They were feared by the other clans. All but the Senju. Even the Samurai were wary to deal with them." She stopped herself, forcing her way through the rest of the story. "They were loved by their allies, feared by their enemies and hated by everyone else."

"What?" Naruto gasped, shocked by the statement.

"It was a long, long time ago, Naruto. People were a lot more religious then than they are now." She looked off to the side, watching the water pass them by. "Their fuinjutsu studies were considered blasphemy at the very least. People believed it was only Kami-sama's place to command the force of gravity or seal food in a scroll, outside of the reach of time. They had always been too feared to ever be attacked openly, but the Elemental nations have never been a good place to be an Uzumaki."

Naruto couldn't look at her, facing the water but not quite seeing it drift between his toes. Hearing this was…

"Having red hair was once as good as treason. There were stories of lone travellers finding themselves murdered in their sleep. In most inns they would be tied to their beds and set on fire. Non Uzumaki parents who bore redheaded children would more than likely kill them, and their families would eventually fall apart from the ceaseless accusations of belonging to the clan. The number of Uzumaki children who didn't commi-"

"Stop!" He urged, tears trailing down his whisker marks. "Just-" His body shook with a shuddering breath. "Can you…" He looked at her, eyes imploring.

She nodded. "Your clan didn't hold family above all else for nothing, Naruto." His head dipped back down, hair falling to cast shade over his eyes. "Regardless, Uzumaki Tada didn't want that for his children. His life's work was developing a seal that would allow whatever children he had to have all the benefits of being a part of the Uzumaki clan without any of the drawbacks." Her head tilted slightly as she amended the statement. "Well, most of the drawbacks."

"Your clan's...attributes." He said more than asked, understanding where this was going.

She nodded to him, aware he couldn't see it. "That's correct. He also didn't want us to be the same as the Uzumaki clan, so he strengthened our line." She paused for a second, trying to choose her words. After a moment she decided on her course of action. "The Uzumaki line was very...weak."

As expected, the blond's head snapped up at this, anger clearly present in his cerulean orbs. She raised a hand preemptively to stall his protests and the boy acquiesced grudgingly.

"For Uzumaki traits to be passed on the child generally has to have both Uzumaki parents." She gestured at his hair, making him nod reluctantly. "It is very rare to have full blooded Uzumaki traits in a half blooded one, so they...kept to themselves." He nodded a little sharply, and she moved on with her story. "Tada-sama wanted his descendants to be able to keep all their strengths without having to 'keep within the clan'. That's a part of the reason we can only give birth to girls."

His eyebrows rose at that. "He wanted all his descendants to be females?"

She smiled a little, shaking her head. "No. To make our line so resilient, he configured the matrix so our chakra would become a little...carnivorous." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Hardly any of a man's line shows up in a Nadeshiko kunoichi." She tilted her head a little, letting her ponytail fall over her shoulder. "I'm one of the very few who doesn't have brown hair and...isn't very tall."

Naruto wanted to dispute that since she was about his height and he proudly stood taller than most others his age, but there were more important questions to be asked. "Okay...but I still don't get why you're all females though."

"Oh. Our chakra destroys most, if not all the signs of the man's line and the girl born is almost her mother incarnate." She shrugged a little. "A man doesn't leave enough of his chakra in a woman to subdue her line enough, so the seal ensured we only have girls."

"Uh huh…" Naruto muttered, mostly so she'd know he heard her. That sounded...yeah, he still wasn't quite sure what he thought of that. He was no medic nin but the theory behind that was...he decided to move on. "Well, that was a very interesting story, but it still doesn't tell me why you _have_ to live with those old traditions."

"Right. Well, if a man's seed isn't strong enough to survive our chakra, we will not get pregnant." She gave a small, controlled shrug. "We train our bodies to our very limits, so much that no one with a weaker line could possibly be able to beat us. We know that if ever we lose, that man's line will be strong enough to give us a daughter."

He nodded at her words, fully understanding her situation. He knew that not having kids wasn't an option, especially not for her. They were all part of the Uzumaki clan after all, and the dream of having their own family was all but imprinted on their souls. That brought him up short though. "Wait, one thing doesn't make sense though."

"Yes?"

"How were you born? You said your mom never fought another man again, right?"

Shizuka nodded, black bangs swaying with the motion. "Years after the rise in popularity of your master's books the village elders decided on a contingency. They couldn't allow the clan head's line to die with my mother so they went to the most advanced medical centre at the time."

"Konoha." Naruto whispered, not having any illusions as to what she was talking about.

Her answering nod was so small he almost thought he'd imagined it.

Almost.

"They had a procedure that was mainly used for lesbian couples who wanted to have children." She paused, seeming to gather herself.

"They wanted her to make a clone." He said more than asked.

That imperceptible nod once more. "My mother wouldn't have any of that, especially not in Konoha, so she called in a favour from one of the few friends she had. Are you familiar with the name Mifune?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "The leader of Iron country?"

She nodded. "He is now. Back then he was just a Samurai who came and challenged her a little while after your master."

Naruto's face scrunched up. "Wait, what?"

She smiled softly, a hint of pride showing through it. "He'd heard about our customs and decided he'd marry my mom so he could change them." She paused, seeming a little lost in thought. "He believed we were naively inviting 'dishonourable ruffians' who would sully our virtue." She smiled, remembering the stories her mother had told her before…

She looked up at Naruto, eyes once more hard as she questioned him. "So what are you going to do now, Naruto?"

Naruto exhaled slowly, half wondering if he could still be Hokage even with what he was about to do. The other half was worried he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did it. Looking directly into the Nadeshiko princess' jade eyes, he spoke.

* * *

 **Well, that's chapter 1 for you guys. Hope it was enjoyable, now Imma just get into some theory stuff. How I came to all my conclusions and all that. If you don't really care, feel free to skip the rest of the AN. Leave me a review, though.**

 **The Uzumaki DNA being recessive**

 **I picked this up from both Naruto and Tsunade. Of course Tsunade wasn't a halfblood, but her grandmother, Mito, was a full Uzumaki. Tsunade, however, doesn't really have any traits in common with the Uzumaki clan. Not the hair, not the chakra capacity, not the chakra density. You can tell by how early she started to develop her super strength technique that she didn't have Uzumaki reserves that she had to work to control. She was obviously born with average (Or maybe better, because Senju) chakra control and average capacity. She was able to train and enlarge her capacity while maintaining her control. Naruto didn't have any Uzumaki traits either. His stamina, chakra capacity and control don't really factor into the equation since they were affected by the presence of the Kyuubi. His hair is a dead giveaway, though. Also, the density of his chakra wasn't unique at all, not mentioned all through canon, unlike Kushina's which was mentioned the first time we saw her (the chains). Naruto never had any trouble with regular techniques because his chakra was too dense, leading me to the conclusion that it was of average density. All that, and the fact that both of these shinobi were closely related to the main 'royal' line (Both Mito and Kushina were 'princesses' of Whirlpool) which would usually have the strongest genes and they weren't able to pick up a single trait, is what leads me to believe the Uzumaki genes, while powerful, are recessive and if you're a halfblood, you're not really an Uzumaki.**

 **Shizuka's predecessor also being her mother**

 **When Naruto meets Tokiwa, she almost immediately tells him about how the Nadeshiko is a 'Matrilineal' clan.**

 **Matrilineal - Of or based on kinship with the mother or female line.**

 **I believe the leadership of the clan is passed down from mother to daughter, when the daughter is wed and deemed ready. I think that's why Shizuka didn't start looking for Naruto until this point, and why Tokiwa still calls her a princess, despite the fact that her mother has probably passed on by now, (Which I alluded to in the chapter). Putting aside the fact that she looked quite old in the cutaway where she was on that bed compared to how young Shizuka looked, the princess didn't seem very keen at all on challenging the student of the man who'd ruined her mother's life. She waited until the last possible moment and only went searching for him when the clan was truly in need of her to be officially sworn in as its leader. I know their bodies don't hold much weight in this argument since she was as tall as Jiraiya in her prime and Shizuka is only Naruto's height, and their hair colour is also different, but they both have green eyes so that's something.**

 **Also, I say she's the strongest kunoichi in the elemental nations since Tsunade usually holds that title, but they've all agreed that the strongest of the sannin is Jiraiya, and she fought him to a standstill so...**

 **A Nadeshiko Kunoichi's chakra consuming the man's DNA in pregnancy**

 **Looking at #235 of the anime, throughout the chapter we see seven Nadeshiko kunoichi. Five out of seven have brown hair, while the other two have black. All of them have almost Amazonian figures, and they are all quite tall. Shizuka's mother was as tall as Jiraiya was in his prime and Tokiwa towers above all. The heights of the three other kunoichi on the bridge can't really be counted since we don't see them in comparison to anyone else. What can be counted, though, is their cup size. Now, I don't know anything about that, so I just went with 'D' cup. It's also the most popular so ¯\\_(** ツ **)_/¯.**

 **Shizuka's mom's life after Jiraiya**

 **I'm honestly pretty sure that's what would've happened to her after Jiraiya stood her up. In their village of warriors, they probably have a lot of pride. Add to that the fact that since the birth of their clan, men have been falling over themselves to marry a Nadeshiko kunoichi and she grew up as the heir of this clan. She was obviously brought up to hold her head high since her birth, and the countless men who came to her village seeking her hand in marriage could only have strengthened these teachings. Obviously, not many of them were worth her time, but as Shizuka demonstrated, she wouldn't just deny them the chance. (Shown by the way she kept fighting the puppeteer). Anyway, she grew up, not only being told, but having it proven that she was close to if not** _ **the**_ **pinnacle of kunoichi, and then she gets stood up. By a known pervert.**

 **A man who shamelessly stalks anything with breasts.**

 **And he rejected her. That must've caused all sorts of damage to her self image and made her question everything she'd ever known.**

 **And her people. They were kunoichi too, of the same clan, so not only would they understand what she'd be going through, they'd be able to see through her fake smiles. They'd know how she really feels when she tells them she's fine, but what they wouldn't be able to do is suppress the looks of pity on their faces. As we see by Tokiwa, the people are fiercely loyal and protective of their leader, and Tokiwa doesn't even try to hide her concern for her charge. Even if the kunoichis tried to hide their pity, Shizuka's mom would still have seen it since she'd know it was there and she'd be looking for it.**

 **The village elders wanting to take her to Konoha is something I find easily believable. They may or may not have had a hand in Sagiri's (Shizuka's lover's) death in order to keep the main line alive. So having their current clan head (who was powerful enough to fight one of the legendary Sannin to a standstill) clone herself so they'd be assured of having another great head with the same strength doesn't seem like a bad idea at all. To them, I mean.**

 **The Mifune thing I got mainly from three things. Her height, her hair color and the sword she carries on her back. Given her skills in ninjutsu and taijutsu, she probably wasn't a slouch with her blade. Given that he's one of the few Samurai who is willing to not only interact with shinobi but actually help them as well, I think he's a logical choice for the position of her father. Also, using all his hard earned skill to defend the virtue of an entire clan of naive (from his outsider perspective) women is a totally 'Honorable Samurai' thing to do. About his relationship with Shizuka, I haven't actually come up with that. They both obviously know about each other, but whether he stayed there for a few years to raise his daughter or had to send over a teacher in secret (so as to not piss off the shinobi hating Samurai in his village) or have her come over there to Tetsu no kuni (because he's the leader and what he says, goes, and Samurai are supposed to leave their prejudices behind and all that). Let me know if you have any better ideas.**

 **Oh, and new ideas for a summary are always welcome.**

 **Later**


	2. Chapter 2

So, someone commented saying: "Also this entire fic is just one long rant, it's generally the type of writing style used by bad authors who don't want to acknowledge the opposing arguments of the other side, because as it turns out it's easier to convince someone your right when you don't give the opposing side a voice"…. Which I found pretty hilarious since they commented as a guest. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Review responses:

MrLogic- Yeah, it can't really be anything else since they're kinda getting married. I mean, I doubt Naruto's the type to cheat on her and I'm pretty sure neither is she.

Slythefoxx2- She mad cause he's being thoughtless about how his choices and actions affect her. He didn't have to fight her. She named her terms and then he agreed to them and then all of a sudden he says, "nah, fam. I'm not about that." which really isn't fair to her. In her mind.

Mad Library Scientist- Yeah, she is. You'll see.

Oh, and the rest of the people who've been kicking my ass on the theory front, congrats. Most of your arguments have merit. I still think my theory works for my story, but I guess I'm just gonna say, 'it's fanfiction, suspend your disbelief' instead.

For those of you who liked the story and have been waiting literally _forever_ for this chapter to drop, sorry it took so long. I'm gonna try and make sure it doesn't happen again, **but I makes no promises.**

Alsooooooooo-crap. I just realised that starting the story here didn't leave me much of canon. I hope I can still keep it interesting.

 **Chapter 2**

Naruto blinked once at the girl seated next to him. His eyes were unfocused as he watched her. They hadn't moved from their place by the riverside, their feet bare as the current flowed between them.

He sighed once, idly knowing what he was about to say. He knew he couldn't just kill her. She'd done nothing to him.

She'd done nothing to anyone.

She was a good person.

…

…Well, as 'good' as a ninja could be, anyway. There was no way he could just kill her because he didn't want to marry her. He was starting to think that he never should've fought her. It's not like she would've attacked him and _made_ him fight her.

Well, at least, he didn't _think_ she was the type. Granted he didn't really know her all that well, but he felt like she wasn't the type to force someone to become her husband.

Yikes. That word again.

Husband.

He felt himself shiver a little every time it crossed his mind. He couldn't find a way to get out of it. It was seeming more and more like he didn't really have a choice. He was going to have to marry her and be bound to her for the rest of his life.

Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad….

"Okay…" He started, throat closing up and refusing to let him utter another word.

"Yes?" She asked, looking up from the cool water.

"No! Not yes!" He corrected, waving his arms back and forth in front of him. "I'm not agreeing to marry you."

"So you've chosen to kill me then?" She asked, and the purely curious nature of the question knocked him back.

"I…no! I never said I was gonna do that." He re-corrected, feeling a little lost at this moment.

She raised an eyebrow, clearly asking him to elaborate.

"Look. I just wanna know what marrying you is gonna mean for me." He finished, knowing he was still stalling for time.

She gave him a slight nod, turning her gaze back to the water flowing between their toes. "I guess that's only fair." She paused for a moment, seeming to focus intently on just breathing in the forest air. After a few breaths, she spoke. "Our traditions state that when a man has won the hand of a Nadeshiko kunoichi, he returns to the village with her and becomes a part of the clan. The man becomes the head of the household and, obviously, the head of the clan if he weds the princess." She lightly touched her chest, half gesturing to herself and half remembering previous times when she'd had to explain their rules. The thought almost made her smile. "As the head of the clan, you are-"

"Oi! I never said I was gonna marry you!" The jinchuuriki interjected, trying to keep it abundantly clear that he hadn't made any commitments.

She sighed, lip twitching a little at his outburst. "Excuse me. As the clan head, one is given total access to our clan's entire just library and archives. The clan's strongest shinobi and kunoichi in the village can also be made available to train you-"

"E-HEM!"

She didn't suppress the smile this time, continuing right on with her words. "in whichever field they specialise. We have a experts in all the obvious weapon arts, but there are also a few who are experts in more obscure implements. Our foremost trackers are generally on par with the best of your Inuzukas, and our elemental specialists are as knowledgeable about their elements as I am about wind." His eyes widened at that and it was all he could do to keep the whistle from passing between his lips. These women sounded impressive and he was starting to wonder why he hadn't heard about them more often. "I could go on and on, but I'm certain you get the idea." The blond nodded a little dumbly. "Of course, not all our skills lie on the battlefield. There are a good number of more academically inclined kunoichi who would are increasingly fond of teaching their craft. Some of them monitor the political occurrences all around the elemental nations, but most of them are more keen to study religions and techniques that have long since faded from use."

He, once again, nodded at the woman, accepting the information as it was given. "Okay. What about…" He scratched the back of his neck slightly sheepishly. "I mean, I know the leader of the village is it's number one protector and all, but is there anything special they're supposed to do?"

She nodded back at him. "I obviously can't go through all of the duties and responsibilities the clan head has, but you are mostly correct." Her head dipped slightly in a small nod. "The main thing they're tasked with is protecting the village, so mainly they're expected to train to their limits." He smiled a little, mentally ticking off that box. "Among the duties are overseeing the operations of the village. Of course, there are a number of other posts that deal with smaller incidents but everything of a larger scope will be brought to…the clan head's attention." She covered the slip. "Some of the laws are subject to change by the clan head, but most of our traditions can only be overturned by a unanimous vote among the clan council, the clan head and the clan elders."

"…okay…" That statement was clearly leading somewhere.

She felt her smile grow a little larger. "Meaning you won't be able to end the tradition of the challenges all by yourself."

He pursed his lips, unable to be truly angry in the face of her happiness. The slight smile on her face as she took in his expression made her look a lot less… unapproachable. Moving swiftly on from that thought, he gestured for her to go on.

"You'll also be expected to attend all of the meetings with other village heads and you'll generally have the final word on any decisions the clan, and therefore the village, will make in response to those meetings."

Naruto sighed a little, resigning himself to the fact that she wasn't going to stop insinuating that he'd already made his choice. He closed his eyes for a moment, thoughts becoming slightly heavy. ' _I mean, haven't I already made up my mind?_ ' He thought, conscious of the fact that he wasn't going to kill her. That just wasn't something he could bring himself to do. She hadn't done anything to him, and he'd known about the rules of their fight beforehand. He should've just- "Arghhhhhh!" He groaned, hands fisting his golden locks in frustration. He was starting to think in circles.

She turned to him with both eyebrows raised, a curious look on her face. She hummed for a second, her face considering. "I had not pegged you as the indecisive type, but you needn't worry. You will not be expected to make all of those decisions alone. Any of the members of either council would be more than happy to give you advice on-"

He shook his head, stopping her in the middle of her sentence. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come.

Her smile dimmed a little as she realised what must be bothering the blond. "You've decided to marry me, haven't you." She intoned, absolutely sure of her words. She was also sure that any other girl would be furious at seeing the anguish that making that decision had caused him, but she felt...She actually wasn't sure how she felt about that. He'd decided not to kill her, so their villages wouldn't go to war for his unprovoked murder of their heir, and both her people and her offspring would thrive under his passionate leadership. Honestly, she should feel _something,_ but there was an unsurprising lack of change in her heart.

His head dipped a little, a subtle nod in the movement.

She nodded to herself slightly, acknowledging his answer. Turning to once more watch the water as it lazily drifted between her toes, she waited for him to finish gathering his thoughts. This definitely hadn't been the way she'd expected her day to go. Having thought about it some more, she realised that she hadn't felt all that enthused when she'd thought she'd won their fight. She'd been holding herself back all through the confrontation because she'd known just who she was dealing with.

Uzumaki Naruto. Jinchuuriki of the kyuubi, apprentice of Jiraya of the Sannin, suspected child of the fourth Hokage and an Uzumaki to boot. Their spies had found that all through the blond's life, his training had never even been a significant matter to the people of Konohagakure. The distant way they interacted with him was extremely far removed from Nadeshiko culture. Every single Nadeshiko kunoichi, regardless of any lingering grudges her father may have accrued, would have their training painstakingly tailored to their anticipated needs from the day of their birth, adjustments being made as necessary as the girl developed. They were well aware that if they put even half that much effort into training the golden haired boy, he'd be more than a force of nature. He had his deck stacked so heavily that he could very well become the closest thing to a kami that has ever existed in the elemental nations.

An opportunity like that was not one to be wasted. It stung her pride to not give her all in the confrontation, but she knew that there was no better man to stand at the head of their clan. It might be a little more difficult actually getting him to become a part of it, given the fact that he was currently Konoha's only jinchuuriki, but she was fairly certain that they could work something out. The Nadeshiko clan and their traditions were far older than even the hidden villages after all.

They spent a few minutes in silence. Not awkward but not quite companionable either. Just mutual silence as they both pondered the fact that the person they were going to have to spend the rest of their lives with was the stranger sitting next to them.

The blond exhaled silently, making sure she didn't hear what was obviously a sigh. He couldn't be sure, since her mastery of wind was beyond obvious and she may be aware enough of the air around them to feel his breathing change, but he couldn't help it. His dream had now been placed firmly out of his reach. And by his own actions, too. If he had just decided that talking to her wasn't worth fighting her on those terms, then he wouldn't be having any of these problems.

Truth be told, he really wasn't too terribly put out by the thought of marrying her. Sure, if he could go back, he'd chose the chance to marry Sakura-chan every time, but since he was stuck in this mess, he'd decided to look at the bright side. Sure, she wasn't sweet, or cute, and she didn't really seem to have many of the qualities that Sakura had in spades, but she was honest, passionate and compassionate. She was a leader who really seemed to care about her people, if her interactions with Tokiwa were anything to go by. The blond briefly contemplated the fact that he'd always been alone, and even after he'd graduated from the academy and made friends, he'd always felt a longing for someone he could call family. Seriously thinking about it, he could've done a lot worse than Shizuka.

It was just too bad that she was the warrior princess of the fiercely proud kunoichi clan. Had it been any other member he might just have been able to get away with working something out with the two villages so they could both go to Konoha, since he was planning to be the Hokage, and all. But he and Shizuka were tasked with leading the clan, and furthermore, the village. There was no way they could even think about moving to Konoha when they already had all this responsibility.

Speaking of responsibility, he was currently still on a mission, and an S-rank one at that. He didn't really think he'd have to go straight to the Nadeshiko village, but he just had to make sure. "So what happens now?"

She answered without turning to face him. "Now, we make our way to Konoha to inform your Hokage of your decision and you can tender your resignation." She turned to the blond, favouring him with a small smile. "Usually the man would do this on his own while the kunoichi heads back to Nadeshiko to inform her mother and start the preparations for the wedding, but I'm sure you can understand why I'm not keen on letting you out of my sight."

He nodded in response, not wanting to dwell on the reason she wasn't feeling very trusting. "And what if the guy's on a mission." He stated.

She cocked her head. "Most people don't go through with the challenge if they're on a mission, but in the rare cases that they do, it depends on the ranking." She answered.

He gave her a look. "S-rank."

Her lips pursed, expression becoming slightly pinched. Any mission 'C-rank' and below was well within her jurisdiction to overrule, but 'A' and 'S-rank' ones were definitely out of her control. They sat in silence for a little while longer, both wholly unsure of what the next course of action would be. Shizuka had a couple of questions that she wanted to ask, mainly just about the duration and the parameters of the mission, but it being 'S-rank' meant that there was a very limited chance of her getting any answers. Usually only the team leader needed to know that information beforehand and it was also, quite frequently, an 'S-rank' secret with a death penalty attached for sharing it.

"We can wait until captain Yamatou comes back." Naruto suggested, knowing that he was in charge of their unit and he'd have to be there for the final decision anyway. She gave a slight nod. "Well, they should be discovering that I sent a clone with them soon enough, so we should make our way back to the pier."

* * *

About forty five minutes later, Naruto, Tokiwa and Shizuka all stood on the wooden pier watching the ship come in. All of the Konoha ninja on board noticed the tense posture of the three and Yamato approached sedately. He stopped before them, looking between Naruto and Shizuka suspiciously. He stopped himself from breathing a sigh, internally hoping he was wrong. "So I take it congratulations are in order."

He received two small smiles, both more than a little strained.

He once again firmly resisted the urge to sigh gustily, the shrinking of his torso betraying his resignation.

This was _definitely_ not how he'd expected this mission to go. Sure, he was one of the most adept at 'seeing underneath the underneath' and preparing for every eventuality. You didn't serve on a team with Kakashi-sempai for long without bolstering both lines of thinking, but even he hadn't contemplated a situation like this.

Accepting a challenge from a Nadeshiko warrior was unheard of on an S-rank mission. It was almost tantamount to desertion. The fact that Naruto was a jinchuuriki and this was obviously Shizuka, the clan's heiress, only made things more complicated. He kept his expression neutral as he shifted his gaze between the two teens.

The discomfort he could see on the boy's face seemed slightly excessive, even for a situation like this. Clearly there was more to the story than what he knew. He made a gesture for them to explain and in short order they'd caught him up on the everything he needed to know.

And what a mess it was.

As it stood, there was no true protocol for such a situation, even for rank and file shinobi. There were no instructions available for him to defer to, but in such a case, he would insist on finishing the mission first and then allowing the wedding to be dealt with afterwards.

That wouldn't really work in this case since Shizuka had outright refused to let the blond out of her sight. He would've given his word that Naruto would go and complete the mission, making sure to bring him back to her so the matter could be swiftly resolved afterwards, but her distrust of leaf shinobi extended to the rest of the team as well and she wasn't likely to put much value to their word.

Any other Nadeshiko kunoichi he would've told to suck it up and wait until the mission was complete. Being a jounin on an S-rank meant that he generally held the higher ground hierarchy wise when it came to minor conflicts with neutral villages. Shizuka was a future village leader, however, and it was more than obvious that telling her to get over herself would undoubtedly spark a war between their two countries.

The thought of running or subduing them and then escaping briefly crossed his mind, but was quickly dismissed. While he was almost certain that Gai, Naruto and himself were up to the task of knocking them unconscious, he'd been a shinobi long enough to know that judging ninja by appearances and Bingo book entries was the quickest way to a shallow grave. Running was similarly pointless. Nadeshiko women were nothing to scoff at when it came to tracking and even with the boy's astronomical growth he would have a hard time losing an above average tracker, let alone one of the Nadeshiko standard.

He found himself exhaling again, the slight shrinking of his torso once again accompanying the motion. "We're going back to Konoha." He announced, turning to Gai and the rest of their squad to give the same instruction in hand sign form. He thanked Kami-sama this was only an S-rank because of the fact that they were trying to keep Naruto's location a secret. If this had been like any other similarly ranked mission like the others he'd been on it would've been a truly impossible decision.

Naruto blinked at the words, having expected...something else. He hadn't known what the procedure would be but abandoning an S-rank mission? "But, Captain Yamatou-" He was cut off by the man's expression, a baleful eye that his normal 'scary face' couldn't dream to match.

"You compromised the mission, Naruto." He spoke, and the teen was sure he wasn't imagining the tinge of disappointment in it. His head dipped and he nodded slightly, acknowledging his leader's words. "You disobeyed a direct order and acted without thinking, knowing full well that you'd be jeopardising an important mission, and with nothing less than an all out war on the horizon." He turned back to face the boat, knowing that they'd have to unload it before they could prepare a new one to for the longer journey back to Konoha. "I, for one, am glad you will not be Hokage." He sprang up to the railing of the boat with the most minor flicker of chakra, the movement not even making the pier beneath their feet creak.

Something in the blond's chest tightened painfully, and his head dipped further down. He'd royally screwed up and he knew it.

Shizuka's fists tightened at her sides as she watched the two men, one of them being her fiancé. She breathed a little and stepped in front of the man, using a single gloved hand to lift his chin. "Naruto." She started seriously, her voice brokering no arguments. "We all understand that you messed up here, and you most certainly should've thought harder about what the consequences would be before you accepted my challenge." She breathed a calming breath before she allowed herself to continue. "All of the things Yamatou-san said were legitimate, and he had every reason, as your superior, to admonish you for your actions," Once again the kunoichi paused, but when she spoke up again her voice was even harder. "But if I _ever_ see you react like that again, I will castrate you."

He backed away from her fearfully, raising his head higher to warily look her in the eye.

The princess nodded slightly to him, acknowledging the change. "That's more like it. As the leader of a hidden village you can never lower your head to anyone." She finished, turning to the boat to see the rest of his group starting to offload their cargo. Sending him a look over her shoulder she gave a slight nod at his teammates. "Now aren't you going to help them?" She asked.

He smiled at her slightly as he nodded, forming his favourite hand seal.

* * *

"No need, Naruto and I will share this room." Yamato and the rest of his team gaped slightly at the kunoichi, wondering if she was really going to be watching him all times of the night. Well, of course they were shinobi, but...what about marriages being built on trust.

"Come on, Shizuka, do we really need to share a room?" The Uzumaki's question was delivered in a whine, his shoulders slumped and his eyes imploring.

Shizuka answered him with a raised eyebrow and he postured right up, mechanically making his way into the only room with a double bed. A round of low chuckles trailed in after him and his expression fell. "You're forgiven, Naruto." He heard Aoba say, but his growing smile was smothered by the muttered "you poor sap." that followed.

He gently let his bag down on the floor on one side of the room, similarly claiming that side of the bed. Fishing out his pyjamas, he quickly stuffed his froggy nightcap back in his bag before his future wife could see it. She'd said he could keep it in their home in the Nadeshiko village, but outside of that he had to look 'dignified' in his nightwear.

He figured he understood, but the rules and regulations still chaffed. You'd think _he'd_ get to be making the decisions, what with him being the leader and all. He quickly changed into his nightwear, neatly folding his clothes and stacking them on top of his bag.

The black haired woman in question walked in at that moment, divesting herself of her travelling cloak with a flourish. It fluttered onto her bag that had somehow gotten into the chair on her side of the room. She laid her weapon holsters down on the small table on her side of the bed before unceremoniously removing all her clothes and wrappings. She moved onto the bed and sat crosslegged against the headboard, her pale skin contrasting starkly with the dark wood as she patted the space next to her.

"Shirt off." She corrected before he could sit there. He felt his body swallow before he could comply, removing the article with a similar lack of fanfare. When that was done, he sat with her at the head of what would be _their_ bed for most of this journey.

His eyes were concentrated anywhere but on the woman by his side, not quite sure if looking would be okay in this situation. "So...wh-what's on your mind?" He found himself asking, because otherwise they would probably have been asleep by now. Also there was a certain part of him that was making it quite…difficult…to speak normally.

She breathed once before answering him, the rising and falling of her chest being quite the distraction from her words. "The orange."

His jaw hardened, his eyes turning sharply to focus on her own. "No."

Her lip twitched slightly at his reaction, but she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

His eyes focused forwards again, now realising exactly why they were topless. "I'm not gonna let you take it away from me."

Her lips creased into a small frown at his words, not that the teen could see it. "I'm...Naruto, I'm not...I'm going to be your wife." She looked at him, eyes boring into the side of his head. "You have to know that we're on the same side."

He sharply turned to her at that, steadfastly ignoring the pink invading his cheeks as her body once again came into view. "You could'a fooled me." He informed her, nostrils flaring with emotion.

She sighed to herself, eyes unfocused as she tried to find the right words. "I…You're referring to the changes." She confirmed, continuing at his sharp nod. "They are things you would have been raised to know if your parents hadn't died the night of the Kyuubi attack."

His raised eyebrow was accompanied by a simple question. "You know who my parents are?"

She shook her head at him sadly. "We only have our suspicions, but no concrete evidence to back our theories as yet. The general consensus among our cryptologists is that you are the son of the Fourth Hokage and his wife Uzumaki Kushina." She saw the appraising look in his eye and continued. "And now you've just confirmed that for me," She nodded, "Thank you."

His mouth worked soundlessly for a few seconds.

She shrugged slightly, not knowing how else to tell him. "Village wide tragedies like invasions, massacres and bijuu rampages are great for slipping in a spy."

He frowned back at her, not quite sure how he should feel about that. On the one hand she admitted to their people having leeched information from his home, but on the other, she was being completely honest about it.

His heart clenched a little when he remembered that he couldn't really call Konoha 'home' anymore.

Her voice derailed that train of thought. "Regardless, I was saying that your parents were very well respected in Konoha, and had they lived, they would've brought you up to appreciate all of the nuances of interacting with people of similar status." He felt himself nodding slightly at her words, once more acquiescing to her logic.

"Okay, I get it, but why are you going after my jumpsuits. There's nothing wrong with orange-'ttebayo."

The dark eyed kunoichi nodded slightly, but her hand had already moved to perch lightly between the pale mounds on her chest. "I know, but think about it from my perspective. Think back, all the way back to your days in the Konoha academy." His jaw tightened slightly but he gave a small nod. "Think about the reason you used to pull pranks when you were younger, the reason you were always the loudest person in the village, the reason you wanted to be Hokage, the reason you repeatedly challenged that Uchiha friend of yours, the reason you chased after one of the most popular girls in school, the reason-"

"Okay, okay. I get it." He interrupted, face slightly scrunched up. "But you've got it all wrong, Shizuka." He raised up his open palms, counting off on his fingers. "I wanted to be Hokage because I wanted to protect everyone, I pulled pranks because they were fun, I love Sakura-chan because when she...because of the...it was her smile and it had nothing to do with being ignored." He found he was breathing slightly heavier and calmed himself, letting the woman speak.

"Of course, _now_ you've been able to come up with logical reasons to defend what you did, but do you really think any of that was on your mind when you were seven years old?" She questioned, the words cutting deep into him. "Look, Naruto, I'm not trying to turn you into some version of an ideal clan head or anything like that, because you're pretty much there already." She absently gestured at him. "As your wife, I'm just not going to stand idly by while you make a cry for help, regardless if you see it that way anymore or not." Her raised hand stalled his protests. "I'm not saying that you should burn all your jumpsuits in the morning, just that if you're going to wear them, wear them because you know you like orange and not because you're afraid people will be able to ignore you again." She looked into his eyes, her dark eyes meeting his own blue ones.

He searched her eyes for what could have been minutes, only nodding back at her when he understood the feelings behind the sentiment. He figured she wouldn't badger him any further if he decided to keep them, but he resolved to at least think about it.

She shuffled on her side of the bed slightly, slipping under the covers and turning over onto her side. "Now spoon me."

He chuckled at the woman, working his way into the warmth and wrapping his arm around her, feeling it tuck itself almost naturally between her breasts. "So you're a cuddler?" He prodded, smiling at the blush he could see rising on her skin. At least he wasn't the only one starting to get embarrassed by the intimate position.

A strange grid of script glowed slightly on her back when his front made contact with her skin. He could sense a link establish itself between them, though he didn't know enough about seals to tell exactly what it did.

The girl under his arm didn't offer any explanation, content to lay there and let her body wind down. "Shizuka." He demanded when he started to feel her breathing evening out.

Her entire body seemed to tighten at the sound of her name, the muscles beneath her skin stiffening. She forced herself to relax slightly, waiting a few exhales before she could answer the looming question. She didn't turn to him, though, speaking at the featureless wall they were facing. "Naruto, I've known almost all my life that one day I'd have to seek out the man whose sensei ruined my mother's life. All he had to do was leave once he'd gotten her guard down, and that led to…" She paused, gathering herself before she could continue. "My…" She warred within herself, unsure if she should really tell him this.

It was something she'd kept close to her chest for years, and Tokiwa herself had only recently found out. It wasn't a secret that she could reveal lightly.

Finally, after what felt like an age, the argument that he was going to be her husband and there was no other position more deserving of her trust, she caved. "…my greatest fear is that you'll leave me, Naruto." The words started to come easier now that she'd started. "That you're just biding your time until I let my guard down so you can do to me what your sensei did to my mother. When I was a little girl I would have nightmares about it."

His mouth dried up at that, his tongue feeling like it swelled up half a size. "But...Shizuka, I gave you my word." And judging by everything she'd already said, she was more than aware that, "I _never_ go back on my word."

She took in another breath, the air seeming to shake her whole body. "I can't take that chance." She didn't mention the famous promise to his teammate that he would likely never fulfil.

He frowned at the woman, realising that this union would be a lot harder than he'd thought if she was constantly waiting for him to bolt. "You can't...We can't spend the rest of our...marriage…like this, Shizuka. How long will it take until you're convinced that I'm not going anywhere?"

Her head shook slightly, the hesitant gesture seeming entirely foreign to the shoulders it was resting on. "I won't pretend to know that, Naruto."

His frown deepened, but before he could give voice to the thoughts, his mind pinged back to the colour of his jumpsuits. He thought about how this was the precursor to her greatest fear and she'd taken every action she could to make sure it didn't happen. Briefly his mind flickered to his own greatest fear and he absently squeezed the woman tighter to him. "Then…take all the time you need."

* * *

Naruto frowned as his eyes moved up to the 'crow's nest'. He still thought Aoba was screwing with him about the name, but that wasn't on his mind at the moment.

What he was thinking about was their squad leader standing in it. He had a special spyglass in his hand that he was using to gaze in the direction they were going. With the chakra enhancing his vision he could probably see all the way to the shores of Wave Country, regardless of the fact that they were only scheduled to arrive there after nightfall.

Captain Yamato had been avoiding him since the moment they'd spoken with Shizuka on the pier. Regardless of how hard he tried he couldn't manage to sneak up on the man. Given that the entire boat was made of wood he figured that he should've guessed as much.

He just hadn't thought it would be possible for him to track him through wood he didn't create.

He felt a familiar presence step up next to him. "He'll come around, Naruto." He felt a hand land on his shoulder and turned to look at Aoba. "He's just…not the 'talk about your feelings' type." He assured.

Gai-sensei looked up from the water and shot a frosty glare at him. He turned and made his way below deck, passing by Shizuka on her way up.

The Nadeshiko woman paid no attention to his expression, moving to join Tokiwa at the bow of the ship.

"It doesn't look like anybody's the type." The blond muttered to himself.

His companion seemed to blink behind his dark glasses. "Who, Gai?" He waved an unconcerned hand. "Don't worry about him, he's probably more angry about the fact that he has to be on a boat instead of training on dry land."

The teen nodded in response, a small part of him wondering why the jounin's explosive motion sickness had seemed to dissipate all of a sudden. Aoba shook his head and followed the green garbed man under.

Naruto stepped back a little to lean on the rear railing, eyes focused on his fiancé, ' _And Kami it's still so weird to think that._ ' She was a lot more relaxed now than before, probably because she could track his location with that seal.

* * *

Shizuka stopped at the railing, leaning on her elbows as she faced the water. She wasn't focused on the endless expanse of liquid as it passed beneath the ship.

Her attention was in the air surrounding her and her retainer. Allowing her chakra to trickle from her tenketsu, she infused it in the air around them, embracing the familiar feeling of her awareness expanding.

Tokiwa's breathing changed, her deep relaxed intakes shifting ever so slightly to those she took when she was holding onto a question.

Shizuka didn't ask. Eventually, Tokiwa would.

Instead she swirled the air around them slightly so that their words would be swallowed by the turbulence. It wasn't disruptive enough to see, but it was more than enough to prevent being overheard. Tokiwa's lips could still be read from this angle, but Naruto was the only one on deck and she doubted he could do that yet. Yamato's position in the crow's nest meant he was at the entirely wrong angle if eavesdropping was his intention.

If he could pick up the slight vibrations that might make it through the wood…

…

…

The kunoichi's fingers started to drum softly on the surface of the railing. It wasn't loud enough to hear, but it was certainly loud enough to muddle any vibrations beyond recognition…admittedly she was being a bit paranoid.

"Did you put the seal on him?" The other woman spoke without prompting.

She allowed a second of pause before she answered. "Not the tracking one."

She could feel the minute twists in the air denoting her companion's frown. "What finally convinced you?" She asked, because she'd been trying since they left the village.

"…you." She could imagine the woman's skepticism at the answer so she elaborated. "Like you said…If he runs from me…chasing him down wouldn't make him mine."

The woman chuckled lowly, her head shaking a little. "…I said that six weeks ago." She commented.

Shizuka didn't have much to say, her appreciation already obvious to the woman. "…I know." She spoke instead, allowing the wall of swirling air to gently dissipate. Naruto was approaching, not seeming to notice anything amiss as the breeze let him through.

* * *

"Hey, Gai-sensei?" Naruto's unusually low voice floated to the subdued man as he hefted his pack onto his back. Everyone else was gathering their gear before they'd be able to set off on the final sprint back to Konoha. He breathed once before looking back to his side and meeting the teen's eyes.

The raising of a single bushy brow had Naruto's question spilling out of him.

"Do you...do you think baa-chan will be mad?" The green garbed man blinked at him, his round eyes making the gesture seem a lot more comical. Suddenly he burst into peals of guttural laughter that sounded a lot more like his youthful self.

The laugh carried on for minutes, breaking only briefly enough for him to catch a glimpse of the golden haired boy and start all over again. He only managed to calm down somewhat when everyone else in their expanded team was ready. Laying a heavy green garbed hand on the teen's shoulder, he looked into his eyes…

And burst into more youthful laughter.

He took off into the trees before the teen's dark haired fiancé could take offence.

* * *

The group ran in a disciplined silence down the main road leading to Konoha. They'd been leaping through the trees for hours now and had finally come close enough that they had needed to take to the road.

The two kunoichi of the party hadn't had any trouble keeping up with the leaf nin in the trees which somewhat surprised Naruto. They always had to tame the pace a little every time they ran with Temari and he'd assumed the same.

He hadn't asked about the land itself and the climate there, but he was now fairly certain it wouldn't be that foreign from that of the land of fire.

They approached the massive gates, their pace not slowing for a moment as they sped on. Naruto almost gulped as he saw who was standing at the gate.

Inbetween the two massive wooden structures was a familiar blonde in a green haori and even from this distance he could tell she wasn't pleased.

Captain Yamato had probably sent a message ahead alerting them of their return. Either that or they'd been spotted by some ANBU who had done much the same.

Those thoughts ceased to matter as they alighted in front of the woman, the entire group coming to a stop before her.

The mission leader's mouth was slightly open but the way the Hokage didn't even seem to register his presence stopped his words.

…

Her golden orbs rolled over the jinchuuriki, an emotion clouding them that he'd never seen on the sannin.

…

The group of shinobi on the street didn't make a sound, their collective breaths going unheard.

…

Tsunade made a dismissive wave of her hand, not bothering with the standard hand signs. "The rest of you, get lost." She intoned, her eyes not leaving Naruto's as everyone else in his squad flickered away.

Shizuka and Tokiwa remained by the blond, their presence seeming to slip right beneath the Hokage's notice.

The blonde woman didn't look away from her own shinobi, watching with a stone expression as his posture didn't change in the slightest. She could easily see the fear and regret on his face, but his head remained held high above his shoulders.

A breath filled the busty Kage's lungs and her eyes closed for a second before she released it. When they opened, the honey coloured orbs had lost all the dark emotions in them. She turned to the other woman on the street, her face lightening into a pleasant smile. "Ah, Nadeshiko-dono." She greeted politely, offering a textbook dip of her head. "It's my sincere pleasure to welcome you to Konoha."

* * *

 **AN: I** ** _know_** **it's been forever and I apologise** ** _._** **I hope this was at least somewhat entertaining, and for those of you that'll be there for the next one, see you then.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **For everyone who is curious, I'm going with the $1.00 (USD) = 10 Ryo conversion rate that I found via google.**

* * *

Shizuka didn't falter at the change of pace, returning the greeting and offering a similar nod of her own.

Naruto blinked at the polite exchange of pleasantries, wondering where his Kage's anger had vanished to. He glanced about the gate and saw a few civilians taking note of their presence, speaking in hushed whispers among themselves.

"You must be tired from the journey. Your village is quite a ways out from Fire country." He turned when he heard Tsunade speak, her attention still aimed at his fiancé. "A hotel suite has been prepared for you so you can rest."

He looked at the black haired kunoichi and he could see the expression on Shizuka's face wasn't as relaxed as when they'd been talking. It was the same frosty state as when she'd been fending off Kokuyô's advances. It wasn't a big difference, but there was a subtle softness that had started to show in their conversations. "That is a very generous offer, Hokage-dono, but we are all well rested. The bed on the ship was more than adequate for a good night's sleep. Right, Naruto?"

"Huh?" He blinked, not having been expecting to be included in their conversation. "Oh yeah. It was great." He agreed a little nervously. He suspected there was more to the conversation the two of them were having but he couldn't make out any of it.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed a shade. "I'm glad." She said, but it sounded a lot like she was actively trying to keep her jaw unclenched. "Then let's continue this in my office."

The Nadeshiko woman nodded, following after the blonde Hokage as she led the way.

They proceeded down the busy street, moving at a relaxed walking pace. Instead of calming the teen down, the pace made him even more tense as he watched the bobbing of Tsunade's twin pigtails. He didn't take note of the civilians as they walked by, not noticing the way they gazed questioningly at his presence. Their whispers weren't quiet enough to hide their words from his sensitive hearing but he couldn't settle his thoughts enough to focus on them.

It took far too long for his liking until they arrived in the familiar office, him and Shizuka taking the offered seats before Tsunade's desk. It was conspicuously clear of all forms of paperwork and he briefly wondered why that was.

She turned her eyes to him, her expression having grown a great deal colder since they stepped behind the closed door. "So, Genin-Naruto." She started, leaving enough time between her statements for the temperature of the room to drop rapidly. "Obviously by your presence I can tell that your mission was a failure."

He flinched a little at the pointed words.

She hadn't ceased her glaring, the look in her eyes drawing his tiny hairs away from his skin. "I want to know why." She finished, finally allowing him an opportunity to speak.

He didn't rush to explain everything, holding himself and taking a deep breath to focus on what Shizuka had said. "I couldn't complete the mission, Hokage-sama." He started, using her title to avoid earning more of her ire. "I…" The next words he felt get caught in his throat.

He didn't want to say them.

Part of him did. Part of him felt that they were entirely true and that part was eager to tell the Hokage all of it and more, but...the other part of him wasn't so convinced. He'd spent almost his entire life working towards his goal and now that he was actually here he didn't feel so willing to give it up anymore.

He glanced to the side, meeting Shizuka's eyes. The dark orbs didn't change at all, not offering any hints of the woman's thoughts, but he knew. He knew that she wasn't as unbothered by his hesitation as she seemed. Not only was she annoyed by it, since it was unfitting of a clan head, but he was almost certain that she was at least a little afraid.

She had to know that if he wanted, he could deny everything that had happened between the two of them and raise enough of a stink to get her sent out of the village if she tried to argue too feverently. He was quite sure the Hokage was waiting for him to do just that and she wouldn't allow the Yamanaka to get involved in the matter if it came to that, but…

He couldn't do that to her. Of course, he didn't want to give up his dream, but he didn't think he could ever live with himself as Hokage with that kind of deception hanging over his head.

"You know what my life was like before." He spoke instead, watching as the Hokage nodded slowly. "Before I became a hero to the village, they treated me like I was the dirt under their shoes. Nobody even wanted to acknowledge the fact that that I existed." He told her, the long standing resentment somehow sneaking its way into his tone.

A ripple under her pale skin gave away the clenching of her jaw, her hard eyes not leaving him.

"Now that I saved the village from Pain, people treat me like a hero. I mean, I've seen some people bow to me when I go into their shops. People always smile when they pass me in the streets. I saw a bunch of kids wearing orange when they were playing ninja." He felt his fist clench a little at his side. Apparently he wasn't as divided about this as he'd thought. "When we were travelling none of that stuff happened. Every town I went to, the people just treated me like any other traveller." ' _Like any other ninja._ '

He paused for a second, not allowing himself to succumb to the tears he'd felt threatening to well up. He could see that Tsunade was also remembering that most of the travels he was referencing were his years with her old teammate. She didn't meet his eyes anymore, her own finding something more interesting off to his side.

Once he had himself under control, he finished. "I just can't live with it anymore, Hokage-sama. I can't pretend that the past sixteen years of my life didn't happen." He was a bit surprised at the vehemence of his own statement, but he knew it was true. "I came back to give you my resignation."

Tsunade stiffened, her eyes turning sharply towards him. "Resigning after you've already sworn your loyalty to another village doesn't make you any less of a deserter." She said, no longer hiding the fact that she already guessed what had happened on the mission. Naruto stiffened at the words, not knowing how to defend himself. Shizuka had made it very clear that if he was found guilty of desertion then they would be well in their rights to punish him in any way they saw fit. Death, stripping him of the Kyuubi, locking him up until-

"If I may, Hokage-dono, Naruto hasn't sworn his loyalty to any other village. He will be a civilian once his retirement papers have been processed." His wife-to-be clarified, not looking the slightest bit perturbed by the conversation.

Tsunade didn't even look at the other woman, continuing with her frosty tone aimed at Naruto. "Well he swore to be your husband, did he not." It wasn't a question. "Somehow I doubt he's going to be sitting at home minding your children." She accused scathingly. "Not to mention that your village has a certain strength requirement when it comes to the leader."

Shizuka didn't stiffen, but the hardening of her eyes made him think there was more to that statement than what he'd heard. "Of course, Lady Tsunade, but that doesn't change the fact that, right now, Naruto has sworn no allegiance to any other than Konoha."

That was an important distinction. It meant that Naruto wasn't coming home as a deserter but simply as a shinobi who had 'seen too much' and decided that he didn't want the job anymore. That was a _very_ important distinction. He'd have to face a reprimand and he'd be fined the cost of the mission, but it was infinitely better than if he was a deserter.

Tsunade seemed to see this as well as the muscles of her arm rippled, probably because of the fist he didn't doubt she had clenched beneath her desk. "What about the toads." Once again, it wasn't a question. "The toads of Mount Myobokuzan are allied with Konoha and Naruto has a contract with them."

He nodded, having been aware he'd have to do this. He didn't want to, but there wasn't really a better option. "I will break the contract between me and the toads."

The Hokage didn't react, probably having been expecting the words. It wasn't something that was done often, since summoning contracts weren't easy to come by and even if you did miraculously find another one, most summons were far too proud to be anyone's second choice. "I see." She said.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, Shizuka still not seeming as if the passing time was bothering her any. Naruto wondered why there wasn't anything being said, but eventually he just figured that Tsunade was trying to come up with something to tie him to. There was nothing in their contract that further tethered him to the village.

Eventually, she leaned back in her chair, her eyes moving between him and Shizuka. "So you're just going to abandon the village when we're at war."

He didn't allow his head to drop, but his eyes fell to gaze at the dark grain of her desk. Essentially that was what he was doing, and he felt all the more shitty everytime he thought about it. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Hokage-dono, but I believe your Sannin travel privileges were given to you before the end of the second Great Shinobi War." That she'd taken full advantage of those privileges went unsaid as the Hokage's jaw tightened.

They spent a few seconds more in tense silence before Tsunade apparently decided she didn't want them in her office anymore. "Your reprimand for abandoning an S-rank mission will be monetary, so you you'll be fined an additional seventy thousand Ryo on top of the nine hundred thousand for the mission itself."

Naruto felt himself swallow at the figure, wondering just what they'd been commissioned to do. That was just enough for a very high level assassination mission, and he had no clue who would pay them to assassinate someone so important while they were at war. The seventy thousand was a little bit excessive for a first offence, but he knew he was still getting off lightly. Shizuka simply nodded at his side and stood to her feet, not seeming at all concerned about the figure. Her infinite calm was steadying the blond.

"If that is all, Hokage-dono." She said, waiting as the other two rose to their feet as well. Tsunade offered the most grudging nod and Shizuka turned to leave the office. It was more than obvious that they all knew what had actually happened, but according to the law there was nothing wrong with any of it. It would be a textbook example of following the letter and not the spirit of the law.

* * *

Tokiwa stood as the two of them exited the office, joining them as they made their way down the stairs and out of the building. They didn't speak a word as they moved, aware that all their movements were more than likely being watched.

When they were a ways down the street, Shizuka turned to Naruto, offering a slight nod and a hint of a smile. "Where can we get something to eat?"

* * *

Tsunade fumed as she sat back in her chair, trying to stop herself from throwing her desk through her window.

It wasn't easy, and she had her hands clenched so hard that her nails were biting crescents of blood out of her palms, but one thing did keep her from expressing her anger in the one way she was most familiar with.

They were at war. They couldn't afford the other villagers and the shinobi discovering Naruto's desertion and that would surely happen if she let herself rage about it. They would _try_ to understand if they were told the 'he met Shizuka, fell in love and decided to move to her village' version, but if they were told their hero was abandoning them, it would destroy their morale.

There wasn't anything good that could come from letting the truth out and she knew that. As much as rules were rules, sometimes there were things that just _had_ to be done. It was just too bad that it was the Hokage who had to ensure those things were done.

She felt her eyes widen a little when she finally realised that she understood. She understood what her sensei had done all those years ago when Dan had died. He'd seen the way she looked at the village and he'd known that giving her the option to leave was the only thing he could've done. She had been making plans to leave anyway, regardless of what he decided, but he'd allowed her to remain a kunoichi of the village instead of a missing nin.

Granted he probably did that more to prevent the hit in reputation Konoha would've taken if it had gotten out that 'the last Senju had abandoned the village', than to make her grieving easier, but that was beside the point.

It was exactly the same situation.

She _had_ abandoned the village, during a period of war, no less. And the Hokage at the time had understood that it was better to let her go than to let the village suffer the true consequences of her betrayal.

She shook her head slightly to clear it of those thoughts.

Now that she was more hurt than angry, she found that she didn't want to be in her office anymore. She could trust herself to handle a bottle or two. She stood to her feet, proceeding to open the door and stepping into the hall.

"Tsunade-sama?" The words came from the black haired woman who hadn't hesitated to come with her as she abandoned the village, and that thought didn't make Tsunade any more inclined to remain in the woman's presence.

She nodded to Shizune as she walked past her, carefully not bumping the woman as she adjusted the stack of papers she was taking back to her office. ' _I really need a drink._ '

* * *

"Welcome, Honourable son of the Fourth Hokage." The man greeted them far too loudly to be genuine. The way he was looking around 'discretely' made it more than obvious he _wanted_ the attention. It made sense as this was one of the handful of businesses to have been fully rebuilt this soon after Pain's attack. "I'm not surprised you couldn't keep yourself away from our restaurant." His chuckles were obnoxiously fake. "Right this way, I'm sure your companions would appreciate a little more _privacy_."

Shizuka didn't allow her face to show her slight amusement at the predicament. Naruto had brought them here to a barbeque restaurant, apparently at the recommendation of one of his Akimichi friends. The look on his face as he followed the man made it obvious he was regretting that choice.

They were led to a room in a little alcove that was much too big for three people. He showed them to their table and told them that their waiter would be on their way shortly.

The man made a handful of portentous statements about the quality of their meat before he finally left them in peace. She turned to the blond and raised a single eyebrow. "You didn't want to get ramen?"

He turned back to her, his red face cooling somewhat. "I…" When the silence started to drag he decided not to finish his sentence, instead settling on shaking his head with a small smile. He probably wasn't ready to introduce her to the ramen chefs.

She gave a slight nod, accepting the non-answer. She turned to the third occupant of the room, repeating the gesture with her questioning eyebrow.

Tokiwa nodded to her, her hands coming together in a practiced set of hand seals. She held them together in a seal and they glowed slightly. The detection technique caused a blue glow to emanate from one of the small vases and underneath a corner of the rug. Tokiwa proceeded to crush the two bugs hiding in each spot. Naruto's unhidden shock at the presence of the eavesdroppers was easy to see on his face.

Shizuka had been expecting it, though. With a clan like the Aburame in the village it was more than likely they would have ears in every corner of the village. It was telling that there were no seals active in the room. That either meant the owner was oblivious, or he had seals etched onto the other side of the boards and was confident they would pick up everything they said.

Either way, they wouldn't be too liberal with their words.

"Whoa. I didn't even know those were there." He spoke, his eyes falling as he seemed to realise just _why_ they had been there. It meant that there were at least two Aburames who had seen him and had wanted to know why he was back. They hadn't trusted his judgement and they'd violated his privacy without hesitation. Shizuka guessed he was more than a little hurt about that fact.

"..." She wanted to say something to ease his pain, but she couldn't think of anything. The three of them remained in a stilted silence for a handful of minutes.

The sound of the door broke the frozen air in the room, allowing the hum of chatter to filter in from outside. A good deal of it was gossip about the village's hero and his unexpected return but Shizuka ignored it. A woman stepped into the room and offered them each a menu. They each picked a pair of meats and weren't surprised when she suggested they add more since it was 'on the house'. Naruto seemed too subdued to ask for another platter of pork, but the woman added a bottle of sake anyway as thanks for his heroism.

Her unsubtle winks only served to make Naruto uncomfortable. When she was gone, he spoke up about it. "Ah, sorry about that, Shizuka." He rubbed the back of his head as he apologised. "Like I said, people really started treating me differently after Pain's attack."

She shook her head slightly. "Don't worry, I expected as much, what with you being the village hero and all." He pouted a little at the words. "But that does remind me. When you're going to have a mistress, all I ask is that you be discrete about it."

His eyes widened and a rush of pink flooded his face. "W-what?"

"We don't need any rumours going around about-"

"No, I don't...why would you even suggest that?!" He interrupted, seeming like he was only just keeping himself from standing to his feet.

She was rather shocked at his vehement denial, wondering at his reaction. Before she could respond, the woman came back with a trolley full of meat. She leaned back from where she'd found herself and allowed the waitress to serve the food. Naruto's expression didn't change from his shocked and somewhat betrayed look, but she didn't make any mention of it.

When she was finally done placing down almost double what they had ordered, she bowed to them and left the two bottles of sake on the table.

When she left, Naruto leaned in to tear into her about her words, but she stopped him with a raised finger. The grill had already been fired up between them and was ready for the meat. She swiftly placed a handful of beef down on it and let it sizzle for a second before she spoke. "If you could go back, to before you met me, would you still agree to fight me?"

Naruto's defiant expression didn't falter, but he took the opportunity to focus instead on placing some of his own meat on the hot metal. They all knew the answer to that.

She nodded to herself, idly beginning to turn over some of her meat. "It's not uncommon that Nadeshiko women get trapped in loveless relationships." She informed him, not making a mention of the way Tokiwa's face darkened and she focused on putting down her own meat. "No one will begrudge your 'infidelity', but no one will want to see it."

He clenched his fist and aimed his eyes squarely at her, not able to hide the hurt in the cerulean orbs.

She didn't offer any apologies for what she'd said. She wasn't sorry. She didn't have any plans to open her heart to him and it would only be a matter of time until he appreciated her candor and found himself a woman on the side.

Or a man, if that was what he preferred.

To be honest she wouldn't be surprised, what with his vehement search for his Uchiha friend. A part of her briefly wondered if the man he'd get into a relationship with would be one she knows. None of them had ever revealed any such preferences, but she had always had her suspicions about-

"...!" The intense look on Naruto's face broke her out of her thoughts. He looked like there was a something he wanted to say, but he wouldn't allow the words to pass between his lips. Movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention to the way Tokiwa flipped some of her pieces.

She didn't seem to be paying any attention at all to their conversation and was simply waiting for her meal to be ready, and that was exactly what tipped Shizuka off. Tokiwa had a vested interest in anything that concerned her and both of them knew it. There was no reason for her to hide it unless-

She kept her expression from changing at all as the thought registered. ' _Unless she was hiding something._ '

Tokiwa was an excellent kunoichi, but like many others she still hadn't grasped that an inconspicuous action can often be just as suspect as an out-of-character one. She focused on her retainer, but her words were still pointedly directed at Naruto. "So I see you know about him."

The older woman froze between breaths but didn't drop the meat she'd been moving. She pointedly did not respond to Shizuka's knowledge, but her reaction had been enough. It occurred to her that _that_ had been the reason Naruto had changed his mind and decided to fight her. She should've put it together, since Tokiwa hadn't snuck away from their camp any other time since they'd set out together, but she hadn't questioned her retainer's actions.

The woman only had her best interests at heart.

It was that knowledge that stopped the kunoichi from judging her too harshly about it. Obviously she believed Naruto would be a valuable addition to her life. Turning her gaze back to the teen, she met his eyes and he finally responded to her words.

He didn't respond with words, instead directing a small nod her way.

They spent a few more minutes in near silence, the sizzling of meat being the only sound in the room. The combination of the overhead vacuum and the vents in the walls were doing a good job of circulating cool air, but you'd be hard pressed to tell with the heated glaring going on.

There was a minuscule pause in Tokiwa's actions as she turned another piece of meat. The woman had always been of the opinion that deciding to focus solely on her duties and closing herself off from everything else was a bad idea, but she didn't make mention of it. She seemed content to leave the task of convincing her to her betrothed.

Speaking of her husband-to-be, the teen was silently watching her as he sat. The look in his eyes wasn't pitying, but it roused her fury as much as if it had been. She didn't avoid his eyes, but instead forced herself to consciously break the eye contact. He wouldn't be aware of the difference, seeing as he had no training in these kinds of subtleties, but it was an action that would mask the fact that his gaze had affected her.

She focused back on her meat, turning one of the larger pieces and willing it to cook faster. She couldn't help the way her thoughts focused on what had been taken from her.

* * *

When they stepped out of the restaurant it was getting well into the afternoon. Naruto hadn't mentioned anything about the hotel they had been offered, so he had obviously picked up on the fact that they wouldn't be making use of it.

Shizuka appreciated that.

There really wasn't much for them to do outside of waiting for Naruto's retirement papers to be finalized. Not yet at least.

She didn't want to retire for the night, though. It was still too early, and too nice a day to do that just yet.

"Would you give us a tour of the village?" Tokiwa's words broke the silence between them and Shizuka was once more thankful of how well her retainer knew her.

"Oh, sure." He spoke, starting down one of the paths. He wasn't leading them towards the Hokage Monument but she figured they'd get there eventually.

They didn't manage to get very far into the tour before Shizuka spotted a platinum blonde in the company of what looked like an Aburame making a beeline for their group. Her expression was slightly displeased, but she didn't mark the woman as hostile. The man behind her didn't leave enough skin visible to judge, but his posture seemed neutral enough.

"Naruto?" The two came to a stop before their group, the male remaining silent. "What're you doing back already? And who are your friends?" She fired off rapidly, suspicion marring her features.

Shizuka wondered if it was a constant in Naruto's relationships. The Yamanaka had been rather quick to be suspicious of Naruto's presence. "Oh, hey, Ino." He responded, cutting off one of his stories about his academy years. "This is Shizuka and Tokiwa." He scratched his chin slightly, his posture starting to become somewhat defensive. "I met them on my mission."

The blonde's eyes narrowed at the statement, her gaze swinging over to scrutinise Shizuka and her retainer. Shizuka acknowledged the woman with a slight nod and did feel somewhat amused when the blonde adjusted her posture slightly. It wasn't enough to be noticeable for anyone who wasn't looking for it, but Shizuka had been dealing with this kind of petty jealousy all her life.

"I didn't think you would return to the village so soon." The Aburame's deep voice made Naruto jump as if he hadn't even been aware of the other man's presence. "Why, you ask?" He used one hand to adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose and Shizuka didn't think she was imagining the furrow of frustration he was trying to hide with the gesture. "Because you spent an unusual time with your friends before you were scheduled to depart and that is something commonly done when one is embarking on a particularly lengthy or dangerous mission."

Naruto chuckled a little nervously, one arm scratching at the other in a poor attempt to hide how unnerved he was. "Shino, hey. I didn't see you there." He offered instead, though Shizuka could tell it was an attempt to derail the conversation.

It worked admirably.

What little of the man's skin was visible tightened in irritation and Ino laughed lightly at the words. "You'll never change, will you, Naruto." She said, fond exasperation in her tone. He responded with a slightly sheepish smile. "Well, come on, Shino. Let's go see if we have any of those Larkspurs left. " She gave their small group a wave as she took her leave, the Aburame following sedately after her.

Shizuka couldn't help but feel that something was _off_ about the encounter. It could be that she was simply looking too deeply into it, but she didn't think that specific flower had been chosen at random. The Larkspur was a particularly difficult flower to grow, but it was beautiful enough to warrant the effort. The thing that stood out to her, though, was the fact that the flower was poisonous and had the 'hidden' meaning of 'Fickleness'.

It wasn't something Naruto seemed to be aware of as he breathed a sigh of relief from the short encounter being over.

Shizuka wasn't that optimistic that the issue was behind them, but she decided to focus on another matter. "Naruto, has your apartment been rebuilt?"

"Huh?" He turned to her. "Oh, yeah. It was one of the first buildings to get fixed up." The pink tinging his cheeks made her aware that it was likely because of his status as a hero that the building had been prioritised.

With the sleeping arrangement sorted, she felt comfortable returning to the tour. Of course, there were a number of things they still had to do in Konoha, but they could wait until morning.

* * *

Naruto slowly blinked as he woke to the darkness of his apartment. His internal clock was telling him that it was about midnight, but his stomach didn't seem to care.

There was a growling pit in the base of his abdomen that was demanding ramen. Of course, it didn't realise Ichiraku's would have long since closed by this time, but it was of the persuasion that even instant ramen would do.

He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it, pulling Shizuka's form into his own and trying to relax. He could get some ramen in the morning.

Once more, his stomach disagreed, gurgling insistently. He could feel the slightly strange sensation of saliva starting to flow in his mouth and his nostrils flared with each breath. The phantom smell of noodles and broth started to fill his lungs.

He resisted the urge to shake his head, mastering himself and nuzzling up against his wife to be.

His stomach throbbed once in warning.

It was a feeling he was more than familiar with because of his childhood, and the threat of experiencing the pains of hunger again were enough to make him take his stomach's concerns seriously.

Now the only thing was getting out of bed without waking Shizuka. She was, once again, naked as the day she was born clutching his arm securely between her breasts. He couldn't lie and say he didn't enjoy the sensation, but right now all it did was make it almost impossible to extricate himself.

It didn't take him long to resort to using chakra to solve his problem, and he was thankful for his ability to create a clone without any need for handseals.

He concentrated as much as he could on not flaring his chakra and it poofed silently into existence. One Kawarimi later and he was stood by the door to his (now larger) room looking down at the pair. The pitch blackness did nothing to hide the scene from his sharp eyes, and he easily picked up the way the clone held his fiance tighter to himself…

…

…

...and the way Shizuka's eyes were trained on his own.

Fuck.

"Ho-" He paused to quietly clear his throat, willing his stomach to quieten. "How long have you been awake?"

The expression on her face didn't change, but the clone behind her froze fearfully.

She breathed a little, not answering his question and simply rolling her hips a little. The clone tried to muffle his groan, but even Naruto had a hard time holding one back.

"Come back to bed, Naruto." She spoke instead, her voice not sounding as if she'd only just woken up.

He was tempted.

It wasn't even hard to admit that Shizuka's curves were all but screaming at him to get back into the bed, but…

He couldn't ignore his hunger. It had ramped up far faster than any he'd felt before, but he knew what to expect and he wasn't about to go through that again.

"I will, Shizuka. I just need to go down to the convenience store. It won't even take me a minute."

He saw the way her skin furrowed between her brows, her lips forming the slightest of frowns. Her chest rose and fell in a way that sent his mind back to their first night together. She turned a little to the window, absently using a finger to silence the clone. She took another deep breath, this one seeming like it was to _really_ sample the air. When her eyes locked back on his own, there was a scrutiny in them that hadn't been present before.

She used that one finger to gesture to the clone, pointing to it and then to the door. She didn't wait for it to comply, speaking to the original.

"Come back to bed, Naruto." Her tone said that she didn't want to argue about it, but he wasn't about to experience that pain again because she wanted to be cuddled. He was about to speak when he noticed that seal once more illuminate on her back. His clone grumbled slightly as it got to its feet, leaving out of the door and proceeding to dash to the convenience store.

He frowned at her, the feeling of hunger he'd felt having dissipated into memory. That...was strange. Hunger like that didn't just disappear on its own. He crossed his arms over his naked chest, no longer swayed by the sight of her form. "Explain." He ordered instead.

Her lips twitched slightly at his actions, the frown disappearing from her features. "You'll probably find out soon enough, so can you just trust me and come back to bed?"

He narrowed his eyes at the woman, not convinced in the slightest. A few moments went by in silence, neither of the two moving an inch as their eyes remained locked on each other. It wasn't until a second minute had gone by that he felt his clone's memories enter his mind. It had made its way to the store without incident, but as it was waiting in line with the cups in hand, it had felt a slip of paper get slapped onto the back of its neck and then it poofed out of existence.

Naruto shivered a little at the phantom sensation of having his chakra forcibly suppressed before he came back to himself.

He couldn't help the way his head turned in the direction of the small shop, his arms tightening around his frame.

That had been a kidnapping attempt.

There was no other way of putting it. Someone had tried to get him to-

His eyes widened a little and he turned back to Shizuka, his eyes focusing on her own. She simply patted the spot he had recently vacated, once more inviting him to spoon her.

He complied with her request, slipping into the bed behind her and pulling her into his chest. Catching sight of the seal on her back, he tilted his nose into her hair. It was clear now that it hadn't been the cause of the sensations he was feeling, but all that knowledge did was make him even more curious about its actual function. "What does it do?" He asked the question, but part of hims already felt he knew the answer.

"It's a seal that links my chakra network to yours. It allows me to feel when you're caught in a genjutsu and disrupt your chakra from a distance." Her explanation was exactly what he'd feared. It was obvious someone had tried to use a genjutsu to get his guard down so they could kidnap him.

It was someone who was clearly well informed, since their plan had almost worked.

Using the scent of ramen to trick him into their hands was something that only someone intimately familiar him would've thought up. Someone who had witnessed his love for ramen over the years.

Someone from the village.

That thought hurt to think about, so he simply pulled Shizuka even harder into him and tried to distract himself with another question. "How long have you been awake?" He hadn't even known that scent based genjutsu was possible.

Her even breathing didn't change as she answered the question. "Since they started watching the window two hours ago." He could feel the way his eyes widened at her response, his shock impossible to hide.

He only just stopped himself from getting up to look questioningly at her face. "That long?"

She offered the slightest of nods. "Think about it from my perspective. I'm in the center of a competing hidden village waiting to complete some 'legal' processes so that I can make off with one of their most prized assets." There was a space between her statements that someone else might've filled with a chuckle. "Wouldn't you be on high alert?"

He found himself smiling slightly as he thought about it, nodding a little. "I guess." It did make sense as to why she was so hyper-aware of everything that was going on around them. She was in the heart of what was effectively enemy territory.

Konoha wasn't her home, so she had no reason to feel any safer within its walls. That line of thinking was liable to bring his mood down _drastically_ so he decided to focus on something else.

"Wait, so why are you naked?"

He could imagine her slight smile at the question. "To throw them off balance."

He could feel her amusement at the way his face scrunched up. "How does _you_ being naked throw _them_ off balance?"

Her tone made him think she was amused by his questions. "If you attacked someone in the middle of the night, what would you expect?"

"Them to be less aware?" He tired, smiling when she gave another small nod.

"And if they're naked then it's even better for you since they'll be unprepared, unarmed, groggy and embarrassed." He nodded. "But if they were always prepared and they had no embarrassment about fighting in the buff then it would always put you on the back foot. Your brain is split between fighting and trying to figure out how they knew you were coming, how they armed themselves and why they're not embarrassed."

He nodded slightly, picturing the situation in his head. It seemed like solid enough logic. In the heat of the moment, something happening contrary to the way you were more than certain it would, usually resulted in you spending more time than you realised pondering it.

He shook his head slightly, not allowing his mind to linger on the way his lips brushed against the back of her neck. A part of him wondered why she was so adamant about cuddling when she had no intention of becoming truly intimate with him. It wasn't something he was sure he could figure out, but he knew that it was either thinking on _that_ or on who it could've been that had tried to kidnap him.

* * *

 **So...it's been a few months (again). Part of me is pretty sure that this isn't working for either of us. You have to wait forever for a chapter and I get to sit around all day and feel bad about not writing anything.**

 **That's gotta change.**

 **I think I'm just gonna commit to a proper update schedule instead. Maybe with some accountability and an actual deadline in place I'll actually be able to build some steam.**

 **Two weeks.**

 **You guys won't have to wait longer than that for each chapter. (for those who give a damn.) (I know it's bad cause someone sent me a message for a comment reply saying 'at least you're alive, someday we'll have an update'...yeah,** _ **that's**_ **when you know, I guess.)**

 **Each chapter is gonna be ~6K words of actual content, as I've been doing them so far.**

 **Also. for those who are subscribed, you (probably) received two notifications cause I updated the first chapter as well. No major changes, just making certain words and phrases flow better.**


End file.
